Mike Scott guiding walking safaris since 1990
Khangela Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 1995)
- Member Of:
- ZTA & ZPGA
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Mid-range)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $6,920 to $8,651 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DE
Email Andrea and Chris | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
12 days Hwange and Mana Pools August 2014
Dear Mike and Bernhard from Khangela Safaris
Thank you for putting Zimbabwe on top of the safari world map!
We were lucky to take part in a 12 days Hwange / Mana Pools National Parks combination on a Khangela Safaris trip with Mike Scott.
This felt like the sea to summit tour showing diverse natural wonders with great differences in landscape scenery, habitat and animal population. Game spotting is always a variable thing but the plentiful menu will have a lot to offer in terms of different antilope, circus elephants, cats and dogs and great scenery with colorful sunsets at the river or with baobabs to dream.
Thank you for doing your safaris in a minimal impact way being respectful to nature and animals. We really enjoyed staying at remote places experiencing the luxury of being away from the crowds in combination with your great campfire restaurant. The mobile tented safari offers great freedom in trip layout and could be customized to our wishes. Together with excellent camp assistant and spotter Bernhard we were guided by a brilliant team.
The Camps you picked at Mandavu Dam (Hwange), Chitake Springs and Croton on the Zambezi riverfront (both Mana Pools) were excellent. What a wonderful experience to check out the surroundings in a mixture of game walks and drives.
Thank you Mike and Bernhard as well for spotting, pampering us safely, caring, sharing knowledge, cooking and much more –giving us memories to put a permanent smile on our faces.
This is definitely something to come back for !
Andrea and Chris
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic walking safari trip
In June we had a trip with a Mike. He is very friendly and wants to do everything for his guests. We stayed 6 nights camping in Hwange, 4 nights in Mana Pools and 2 nights in Matopos. Apart from the wildlife it was a very relaxed experience. We just did the walks and game drives and everything else was done by the guide, the tracker and the cook.
Our tracker was superb. He found lions on several occasions. We could watch them from a close distance during walking safaris.
Email Austin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Top Notch Experience
Mike Scott is the best guide and operator I have ever been on safari with. I've now been on 5+ trips with him spanning 2+ months and every single one has been unbelievable. His knowledge of the Zim parks is unmatched, and his bush style camping trips make you feel like you're truly on safari. He is extremely communicative, easy to work with, and also happens to be an amazing cook. Khangela Safaris is 10/10, could not more highly reccomend a trip with Mike and his crew.
Email Steven Gumins | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent
My family has traveled with Mike Scott in Zimbabwe for many years, and after eight separate camping and walking safaris with him, I felt I should finally write a review.
These are true bush safaris, not lodge-style trips. My sons grew up hiking, tracking, and learning the African bush on these camps, and the experiences have been some of the best our family has ever had together. Over the years we have brought several different groups of our sons and their friends, and every trip has been consistently exceptional.
Mike runs a traditional Zimbabwe safari with simple, well-run camps, deep knowledge of the bush, and a calm, experienced style that makes you feel comfortable even in very remote areas. The days spent walking and tracking, and the evenings around the fire, are the kind of experiences that are getting harder to find today.
A special mention to Bernard, one of the finest trackers I have ever spent time with anywhere in Africa. Watching him work is part of what makes these trips so memorable.
In a time when many safaris have become commercialized, Mike still offers an authentic African bush experience, and I recommend him without hesitation.
Email Jeff | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
You won't go wrong booking a bush camping safari with Khangela Safaris
I had dreamed of visiting Africa for most of my life and as I got older, I realized it was time to make that dream reality. I started doing research about where to go and when to go. I definitely didn’t want to do a safari like you see in online videos where you’re packed into one of many safari vehicles full of tourists surrounding some animal. I also didn’t have the money to stay at an exclusive lodge on a private game reserve. I thought about doing a self-drive camping trip but since I had no Africa experience that didn’t seem like a good idea. Eventually I found out that in some places you can do walking safaris with a guide. The idea of being able to leave the vehicle to observe animals on foot really appealed to me. So, after more research I discovered Khangela Safaris operating in Zimbabwe. I sent Mike Scott, the owner, an email inquiry to which he responded promptly and after some back and forth I booked a 5 day, 4 night mobile tent camping safari to Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe for May 2025.
Mike picked us up at our accommodation in Victoria Falls Town and drove us to the campsite in Hwange. It was just my wife and I so we had an exclusive experience.
The campsite was located on a hilltop overlooking a reservoir filled with hippos and crocodiles and frequented by a wide variety of birds. The sound of hippos and birdsong filled the air. Our spacious cabin tent faced east and we were treated to some of the most glorious sunrises I have even seen. Timely, delicious meals were prepared over an open fire for us and an assortment of beverages was always available along with clean drinking water and wash water. A hot bucket shower was an option every evening. In camp all we had to do was relax and enjoy the sights and sounds including a spectacular night sky.
Probably the best thing about bush camping is the fact that you’re right in the middle of the action. There’s no need to wake up before dawn and drive a long distance to where the animals are, because you are where the animals are. One morning we took a walk right out of camp and found ourselves among some elephants. After short drives from camp, we were in the presence of wild dogs and lions and an assortment of other animals. I set up a remote trail camera near camp and I captured footage of a hippo, impala and kudu. We visited Hwange at the beginning of the dry season so animals were still dispersed but we still saw most everything we were expecting to see and more.
I highly recommend booking a bush camping safari with Khangela Safaris. It was all I was expecting and much, much more. Group sizes are limited to 6 persons so you’ll be sure to have a personized experience with great service. My only regret is not booking more days. I hope to do another trip with Khangela Safaris in the future.
LK
Email Nishan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Serious, passionate and fun
We did 6 days in Mana Pools floodplain and Chitake Springs in September 2024 with Khangela Safaris. Mike is an excellent guide and provided great insights on the animals, plants, and the places we visited. We did a fair bit of walking mixed with some drives, tracking and finding lions, hyenas, elephants and plenty of other animals. Mike and Bernhard would plan each day based on what we saw the previous day and heard through the night to predict where certain animals might be.
The camps are basic but we enjoyed the experience of being in the African bush, sharing campfire stories under starlit skies, and listening to lions and hyenas as you sleep. The food was fantastic, and the small team worked tirelessly to make sure we were comfortable and well fed. The camp is also very low impact which we appreciated, and this resonated through the entire experience. Mike always put the safety of his guests and the welfare of animals above pushing for great sightings. And in the end our patience paid off with excellent sightings as well.
If you are looking for a luxury lodge experience, then this is not for you. But if you want a real bush experience that runs at the pace of nature, with excellent guiding then go with Mike Scott and Khangela Safaris.
IN
Email Lavdeep Singh | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Mana Pools Safari with Khangela
Me and my mother did 6 nights Mana Pools and Chitake Springs safari in late October 2023 with guide Michael Scott, Khangela safaris. It was an incredible experience for us, which me and my mom will value forever. To be in the wilderness at amazing campsites, comfortable walk-in tents with cots and in suite loo-shower was experience in itself.
We saw what there was to be seen, including lions, dogs, hyenas, elephants, antelopes and other wildlife around the tents by the Zambezi River. Food and drinks were good, prepared by Bernard and helped by Michael and Sedda. There was sufficient variety of food and drinks.
Guiding was good too; Michael is a very pleasant person to talk to and have long conversations. We felt sad while leaving, hopefully we can have a similar experience in future.
Cheers!
Email Stevenjs | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Mike Scott is as experienced and skilled a guide as you could hope for.
We took an "adventure tour" with Mike, Bernard and Memba and stayed in Mana, Matobo and Hwange National Parks. We saw remote and incredibly beautiful areas in each park, hiking daily, had great wildlife sightings and ... ate copiously of great "home cooking". If you want to stay on a comfortable cot in a tent where you can experience all the incredible sights and sounds of an African night, this is the trip for you. THANK YOU Mike and team for an unforgettable adventure!
Email Katerina Ring | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Zimbabwe! 2 weeks, 3 parks: lizards, lions, camping, walking, learning, laughing!
My 3rd time in Zim with Mike & Bernard of Khangela Safaris. These guys never disappoint! Nobody can find a lion like Bernard can! Between the driving, the walking, the cooking and the tracking of animals, every trip with Khangela brings me back to life when I have had too much of the modern world. I sleep better in those tents and on those mattresses than anywhere else. The food was fabulous (and I am a vegan), the company was great fun and we saw giraffes, ground horn bills, lions and more lions, cave paintings, elephants all over the place, and buffalo (on cue). My personal highlight?: I had a wonderful hike over the summit of a lichen-covered whale-back at sunset in the boulder-filled splendor of Matopos park which I will never forget! Bernard works magic, Mike is organized and tirelessly funny. A creative, functional low-impact camp set-up which is a joy to wake up in and return back to daily. I'll be back.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable
Totally tailored to what we wanted, brilliant trip- we don't have a single negative comment except we wish it could have gone on for longer! An absolute trip of a lifetime, would recommend Khangela Safaris to everyone looking to have a unique African Safari.